With the tenth-fastest growing economy in the world this year, Kenya is in the midst of a transformative period of economic growth and advancement. In fact, according to the latest Harvard Centre for International Development report, three of the ten fastest economies in the world this year are in East Africa. For one high-growth freight logistics firm, this has created immense opportunities for growth and expansion.
TransEast was founded in the early 1990s and is today the largest out-of-gauge carrier in East Africa. The company provides heavy haulage services to markets in Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and employs more than 340 people across its operations. Its fleet consists of 200 out-of-gauge trailers and 150 trucks.
Three white trucks in a convoy on an interstate highway
“We were looking to expand our business and differentiate from our competitors using the power of a quality ERP solution,” says Martin Swanepoel, Chief Executive Officer at TransEast. “We chose SAP Business One as it’s by far the most recognised brand of its type in Europe and the US and allows us to sort any issues out with a single phone call to our implementation partners.”
According to Swanepoel, the company’s various departments were unable to share information, and its fragmented data had to be obtained from multiple sources. “We were stuck with labour-intensive paper-based processes that created significant inefficiencies in our daily operations, leading to delayed deliveries. We also lacked complete visibility over merchandise tracking in all of the countries in which we operate.”
Swanepoel and his team partnered with Bluekey Seidor, experienced SAP implementation partners with a track record of success in the East African market. “We found the implementation team to be highly responsive to our needs and were able to resolve any questions or issues quickly with a single phone call. This provided for a smooth implementation process.”
According to Mala Bhatt, managing director at Bluekey Seidor East Africa, the implementation of SAP BusinessOne has delivered greater levels of productivity and process efficiency at TransEast, supporting its ISO9001 accreditation. “Customised reporting now gives TransEast management instant visibility into all areas of the business, making it easier to identify where time and resources are being spent. The user-friendly interface makes onboarding of new employees easy, ensuring that all aspects of the business is running optimally.”
SAP BusinessOne has provided TransEast with significant time savings. “Input and output of data is much faster, and we’re able to quickly identify areas of inefficiency and resolve them immediately. Our finance teams also have click-of-a-button insight into all our departments which has proven invaluable to our overall success,” added Bhatt.
Jade Michael, Head: SAP BusinessOne at SAP Africa, says: “SAP BusinessOne was designed with the specific needs and requirements of high-growth small and medium enterprises in mind. As the pace of change increases and daily operations become more complex, the companies that can leverage technology to establish Intelligent Enterprises will outperform their competitors. With its latest deployment, TransEast has established a powerful platform that can support its ambitious growth plans over the coming years.”